This invention generally relates to an electronic musical instrument, and more particularly to an electronic musical instrument which, in response to the insertion thereinto of an external memory medium providing an extra function such as automatic playing function or tone color selecting function, can automatically set an operation mode to realize a specific function of the inserted external memory medium and thus allows a music performance to be performed by the external memory medium in simple and efficient manner.
There is known an electronic musical instrument which allows insertion of an external memory medium such as a floppy disk, memory card etc. in which, for example, plural kinds of automatic performance data or tone color data are stored for being selectively read out (an external memory medium storing automatic performance data will hereafter be referred to as an automatically playing medium, and an external memory medium storing atone color data will hereafter be referred to as a tone color selecting medium), and which is capable of realizing the extra function of the inserted medium to expand its functions beyond those programmed in its internal memory. U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,171, for example, shows selectively using a memory pack or a magnetic tape as an external memory medium and effecting a change of the media by mannual selection through a switch operation. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,030 shows the use of a floppy disk as an external memory medium.
The user inserts either of the automatically playing medium and tone color selecting medium and manually operates operation mode setting switches on an operating panel in accordance with the function (automatically playing function or tone color selecting function) of the inserted medium. In response to such operation, the electronic musical instrument is set to an operation mode for realizing the function of the inserted medium and also makes a display of automatic performance selecting information to be used for selecting a desired type of an automatic performance or a display of tone color selecting information for selecting a desired type of a tone color. Then, based on the displayed information, the user performs necessary switch operations on the operating panel, to select the desired type of the automatic performance or tone color.
However, with the prior art instrument of this type, each time an external memory medium for expanding function is inserted, it is necessary to perform manual operations for setting an operation mode corresponding to the function of the inserted medium. Such manual operations are quite bothersome. Further, in the event that the external memory medium is inserted without its function being confirmed because there is no indication of the function on the medium, it is not possible to set a proper operation mode, without temporarily operating a operation mode setting switch to see an reaction (for example, a display of "switch error" of the instrument. Thus, with such prior musical instrument, a music performance can not performed by the external memory medium in simple and efficient manner.